


The Scarecrow

by MagicalStranger13



Category: Strange Magic (2015)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-04-29 07:38:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5120345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicalStranger13/pseuds/MagicalStranger13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marianne accquires a strange new Halloween decoration.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Scarecrow

**Author's Note:**

> Since I love Halloween and you guys so much, I just HAD to write something for the scariest night of the year!  
> Enjoy my darlings!!!  
> <3

Marianne released a weary sigh as she killed her car engine.  The multicolored store letters loomed over her head as she slammed her door shut with probably more force than necessary and trudged across the parking lot to the place that was currently serving as her personal hell.  Still, she had to make some money somehow and as a full time college student, she had to remember to be grateful that the position was only part time.  Plus, it was only really bad _this_ time of year. 

She gave a half-hearted wave across the crowded store front to her little sister’s boyfriend Sunny, who was one of three other employees currently running the register.  Her sister, Dawn, was completely occupied with constructing a baby shower order at the balloon counter and was lost in a forest of long, pink and gold ribbons.

In the backroom, she shoved her bag into her personal cube-shaped locker, grabbed her walkie-talkie from the office, and slipped on her bright orange ‘Halloween Expert’ vest. 

Time for yet another glorious afternoon of retail at Party City with only two weeks left until October 31st.  She wondered if she’d hear another variation of her personal favorite question today: ‘ _Why won’t my 2XX ass fit into this extra small slutty costume?’_ At least she wasn’t assigned to work the wall, nor any part of the Halloween section, until seven-thirty.  A reprieve; the after school and work crowd would thin out considerably by then. 

Thank God for small favors.  She didn’t have the patience to deal with a thick, steady stream of demanding, idiotic consumers today.  Not after dealing with her cheating bastard of an ex-fiancé’s teeth-grindingly irritating attempts to, yet again, win her back earlier this morning.  Roland had actually gotten three friends of his together and tried to serenade her in front of the entire student body on the campus green; that is, until she decked the prick right across his smug, grinning face.  It was so humiliating, she actually skipped her 11:00am Socioeconomics class to avoid all the amused stares and hushed giggling.

She still hadn’t told anyone that Roland had cheated on her.  It was just too painful to talk about.  Even Dawn, her closest confidante, was still in the dark about the situation.  The last thing Marianne wanted to do was rain on the parade that was her little sister and Sunny’s budding relationship; a relationship that was twelve years in the making.  The two of them had been best friends since kindergarten.  Most of her girlfriends were really Dawn’s friends and due to the circumstances of the breakup, there was a good chance a few of them might have slept with Roland too.  Plus, her father thought Roland could walk on water, so there was no help there. 

She just couldn’t trust anyone with the truth, but at least she wasn’t entirely alone.  Both Dawn and Sunny would send her occasional texts with funny pictures to cheer her up and keep her more or less occupied in their spare time with movie nights and stuff.                    

And it was rather fortunate that the store manager, Sherry Plum, was also Marianne and Dawn’s next door neighbor, so when news of the broken engagement had spread to her ears, she’d wisely kept an eye on her employee and was sure to assign her tasks that wouldn’t make her lose that familiar fiery temper of hers on the unsuspecting public.  She even banned Roland from setting foot in the store. 

Ducking away from a Hispanic family of _seven_ digging around in the Disney Princess section, Marianne turned down the deserted aisle 4 and got to work restocking the candy and zoning the candles and generic party favors in much-needed solitude. 

* * *

 Three and a half hours passed by with relative peace.  She’d only had to assist a handful of customers, most of which had un-Halloween related questions or requests.  Now it was her turn to run the wall.  As she headed to the back of the store, she was surprised at how quiet and empty it was all of the sudden.  Even the few stragglers that gazed up at the pictures of costumes they had to offer, eventually wandered off, apparently not interested enough to make any selections.  Dawn and Sunny had gone home about forty-five minutes ago.  To occupy the time, Marianne organized the accessory shelves and bins and eventually wandered around the corner to the Halloween section’s decoration area.  After straightening a package of bloody window decals, she stood up and glanced over her shoulder…

…and instantly did a double-take. 

Over the past few weeks, Marianne had gotten used to each and every Halloween product Party City had to sell.  From the cheapest, plastic pumpkin bracelet, to the bloodiest, rubber severed limb.  In the center of the decoration aisle, suspended from a metal grate attached to the ceiling, were the hanging figures.  There were hooded ghosts with chains, witches, grim reapers, and even life-sized skeletons, but what caught her attention was a _scarecrow_.

It was the only one among the displays and it had definitely not been there yesterday nor any day since they’d unpacked all this stuff and set it out.  She turned fully towards the scarecrow and scanned it for a Party City label, but found none.  Someone must have purchased him from another Halloween vendor and returned it here.  Whoever it was must’ve raised quite a ruckus considering how it was impossible for them to accept a return for an item that not only wasn’t theirs, but had no barcode at all.  Plum was usually pretty strict about things like that. 

As Marianne gazed at the scarecrow, she found herself growing more and more fascinated.  Despite the crummy job, she was a true Halloween lover deep down and was always on the lookout for unique decorations to add to her collection.  It was a tradition she’d inherited from her mother; God rest her soul. 

He was six feet long and had a grey, curved witch hat made of cardboard.  His Styrofoam head was wrapped in khaki-colored cheesecloth and the facial features were sharp.  The jaw had been pried open so the face looked like he was frozen in an eternal silent scream.  Jagged teeth were painted against a blood-red tongue, and a single, milky blue pupil-less eye stared unseeingly back at her.  Foam-covered wire hangers had been fashioned inside his ragged navy shirt under a charcoal vest to form a ribcage and arms held aloft.  His plastic hands were those of a skeleton and to give his hips some girth another plastic piece, tied by a string to his wire hangers, secured his matching navy pants to his body.  A thin white rope served as a belt for show.  His primitive clog shoes were also Styrofoam wrapped in beige cloth and he was covered in various spots with clumsy hot-glued patches.  Tendrils of fake straw stuck out from under his hat like hair and some more lined the edge of his sleeves and poked out the sides of the patches.

Marianne bit her lip as the impulsive urge to buy him struck her fancy, but big decorations like that were usually pretty pricy and there was no telling how much Plum would charge for it since there was no price tag. 

 _I’ll give it ‘til the end of the week.  I’ll have my next paycheck then.  If nobody else takes him and if he’s not too expensive, I’ll buy him._  

* * *

 The week crawled by slower than a snail, but each day Marianne rushed to the store and felt a bubble of joy when she saw the scarecrow still hanging from the ceiling; waiting for her purchase. 

Strangely enough, when she’d asked around about the scarecrow, not a single one of her fellow employees seemed to know anything about how he got there.  No one remembered accepting a return or an exchange for such a decoration.  She’d even had to physically show him to Dawn and Sunny to prove that he didn’t have a barcode, despite their doubled insistence that it was impossible to accept an item and sell it without one.

“Weird.”  Dawn had said as she curiously poked at the scarecrow’s foot.  “Must be just some kind of Halloween mystery.”

“It gives _me_ the creeps.”  Sunny shuddered, eyeing the decoration with suspicion.

“I think it’s kind of cool.”  His girlfriend giggled and shook the scarecrow’s hand like she’d made a new acquaintance.  “You should totally buy it, Marianne!  It’ll look so awesome at our party!”

When Friday finally came, Marianne deposited her check during her break and hurried to find Plum.

“How much for the scarecrow?”

Her boss cocked her head at her in confusion.

“What scarecrow, hon?”

“ _That_ scarecrow.”  Marianne pointed to her prize.

Plum looked completely puzzled as she gently spun the decoration in question around, trying to find a tag of some sort. 

“Where did this come from?”  She asked as she scratched her head.  “It’s not ours.” 

“No one knows, but he’s been here since Monday and he didn’t have a tag then either.  You know what else is odd?”  Marianne added in a low whisper.  “I even checked online and he’s not on our website, and he’s not even a product from Spirit Halloween or Halloween USA.”

“Really?”  Plum stepped back and gave her employee a half serious smirk.  “You sure you want it, Marianne?  Maybe it’s cursed or something.”

“I’m very sure.  How much do you want for him?”

“Oh, I don’t know……uh…twenty bucks?”

“Deal!”

“Alright, just give Sunny a tag for something in the Halloween section that’s $19.99 and it’s all yours.”   

With her 15% employee discount, she carried the scarecrow out of the store for exactly $18.62.  What a steal!

To save money, Marianne and Dawn were both still living at home with their father and one of the best things the former loved about their house was the front porch.  It was deep and enclosed with wide concrete banisters that could easily provide seating for outdoor entertainment.  To the far right was a bench swing; Marianne’s favorite spot to while away the precious few October afternoons she didn’t have work or school.  In front of the swing to the left, was a potted plant hook that was never used; the perfect spot for her new friend. 

“There ya go.”  She’d said once she’d secured him in place.  “Welcome to your new home.” 

Ten minutes later she was comfortably settled on the swing, typing away at an essay on her laptop and listening to the Scary Sounds & Songs CD she always played during this month.

When she was finished, she drew her knees up to her chin and gazed out at her neighborhood, letting herself be soothed by the creepy music and the shadows of the trees dancing over the lawn.

The scarecrow swayed in the breeze. 

“I sure miss being a kid.”  She said suddenly.  “Feels like I barely have any time to just sit back and enjoy October anymore.  Mom and I used to sit here on this bench for hours after I finished my homework and she’d tell me all these scary Halloween stories, but I never got scared.  It was all just fun to me.  Every day I wonder what things would be like now if she was still alive.  I mean, I love Dad, but……I don’t think he’s ever understood me……and he works so much, Dawn and I hardly ever see him anymore.  We’ve never been that close but, he’s the only parent I’ve got now.”

She had no idea why she was talking to the scarecrow.  It wasn’t like her to talk to inanimate objects, nor even out loud to herself.  Perhaps she was just tired from her long day.  Perhaps she felt lonely after thinking about Mom.  Maybe after having her dreams for the future shattered in the recent months, she was finally losing her mind.

What did it matter anyway?  There was no one around to witness her insanity, and for some reason she didn’t have a hope of explaining, despite the peculiar circumstances of her acquisition, she felt…… _safe_ with the scarecrow. 

She’d spent so much time keeping everything bottled up except her anger.  Here, she could pretend that the porch was her own little world.  A world where she could open up to _herself_ again and the scarecrow would do his job: watch over her and keep the scavengers away while she concentrated on blooming and flourishing. 

Besides, he was just a decoration.  It wasn’t like he could hear her.  

* * *

 And so it was for the last week of October.  For the four days she didn’t have class or work, Marianne would come home and sit on the porch with the scarecrow.  After an hour or two of peaceful silence, she’d start talking again. 

She told the scarecrow about all kinds of things.  Her school work, her Saturday morning fencing lessons, her shitty car, her favorite movies, books, and music, her funniest Halloween memories.  She talked about her father; how she knew he meant well, but she wished he would listen to her more.  The man had barely acknowledged the spooky scarecrow now hanging off the front of his own house.  She talked about Dawn and Sunny and how she was grateful the two became a couple because she knew Sunny loved her sister with all of his heart and would always be good to her.  She talked about what a shameless flirt Dawn used to be; so much so that it had forced Marianne to be somewhat overprotective of her for the past several years since their mother died.  And then she talked about her Mom and what an amazing woman she was and how much she missed her. 

It was shocking how much she spoke to the scarecrow, but not as shocking as how great it felt for her to do so.  She could tell him anything.  He was like the diary she never kept.  Like the pet she’d never have thanks to her Dad’s allergies.  Like the best friend that would never judge her nor misunderstand her feelings.  He would just hang there and listen to her babble, making lazy half turns on the hook at the slightest gust of wind. 

Maybe this was why she broke down in front of him the day before Halloween. 

She’d had a horrible day.  Roland had grabbed her in the school hall and tried to force a kiss on her, while the on looking student body whistled and catcalled and cheered him on!  After giving him a knee to the crotch and another black-eye to match the one from the week before, Marianne had fled from the campus and gone straight home, desperate for comfort.  But Dawn and Sunny were at work and she knew the store was going to be busy as all hell.  She’d even tried to call her Dad, but his cell just went straight to voicemail. 

She was all alone. 

It wasn’t until she made it up the porch steps and came face-to-face with her scarecrow that all the screaming, cursing and raging she usually had as her default setting……gave way to tears. 

She threw her bag down and collapsed onto the swing as she sobbed.  It all came tumbling out after that.  Who Roland was, how long they’d dated, how deeply in love with him she thought she was, how she caught him in bed with another woman the _day_ before their wedding!  And how the fucker just wouldn’t leave her alone and let her heal and forget, no matter how many times she beat the shit out of him. 

“It’s not fair!  I was so sure that Roland was the one, but he never loved me!  Not once!  He was nothing but a shallow, cheating, chattering, son of a bitch!  He ruined everything!  He never wanted me to be...... _me_!  You know, he once tried to convince me to drop out of college?  He said he should be the one to work and that I should just stay home with the kids!  What a dick!  I wanted kids, and I still do, but I want a career too!  But I was just so fucking blind, I actually _considered_ it!  I just don’t understand why he did this to me!  What did I ever do to him but love him?!  Why did he _hurt_ me?!”

Marianne had only cried about this whole situation once: immediately after she’d found Roland cheating.  She’d run home and wept on her bed until Dawn came to her room, hesitantly inquiring as to what happened.  But Marianne had shut her mouth and sent her away.  A transformation had begun at that point.  Gone was the naive, lovesick, bride-to-be and in her place, was a sullen, cynical, punk with dark purple makeup and a violent streak.  

 _Those_ tears had been for the initial sting.  _These_ tears were for the ugly, throbbing scar left behind.

When she was spent for sorrow, Marianne wiped her eyes and stood up in front of the scarecrow.  His frozen expression stared down at her.  Was it her imagination, or did she catch something akin to sympathy in his empty, plastic eye?

Silly.

Of course not.

Regardless, the thought didn’t stop her from acting on a sudden whim.  Reaching out, she carefully laced her fingers between his skeleton digits and guided him back and forth in a kind of stagnant waltz. 

_I really am crazy._

After a few minutes, she felt much better and released him with a chuckle.  Tearfully venting about Roland, even if it was to someone that couldn’t hear her or respond, had been like getting a deep-tissue massage.  A nap sounded wonderful right now.  She grabbed her bag and headed for the front door, but just before she stepped inside, she felt a wave of longing wash over her and she paused as she bowed her head as if in prayer.

“…..I wish you were real.”  She uttered to her shoes and closed the door behind her. 

* * *

 The following night, Marianne’s house was swathed in orange, black and purple colors and alive with music. Dawn pranced around dressed in an intricate fairy princess costume she’d made from scratch.  The large, pink monarch butterfly wings were impressive, but they sure did knock into everything.  Sunny was dressed as Bilbo Baggins and was acting as DJ for the evening.  Marianne had unoriginally dressed herself as a witch at the last minute, but at least the lace trim of the costume was her favorite shade of violet.

As she walked around and sipped her beer, she was surprised at how few people she recognized milling about in her living room, kitchen and backyard.  Dawn sure knew how to draw in the crowds and throw a fun party.  She met a few interesting people, though.  Dawn introduced her to a ginormous guy named Brutus who was going as the Incredible Hulk.  Ever the thoughtful sister, Dawn had asked the guy, who was a part-time bouncer, to keep an eye out for Roland in case he decided to crash the party. 

While getting another beer, she met a couple named Step and Theo who complimented her about her scarecrow.

“I was telling Steph it looks just like a friend of ours.”  Theo laughed.  “He’s coming to the party too.  He’s just running late ‘cuz he had to close up.  I still can’t believe he said yes.  He normally doesn’t socialize much, but I think your sister’s puppy dog face broke him!” 

“How do you guys know Dawn?”  Marianne asked.

“She and her boyfriend come into our record store a lot and we’ve gone on a few double dates recently.”  Step answered.  “She’s really sweet.  _You_ should come to our store sometime.  Dawn says you like rock.  We’ve got a pretty good selection.”

After making a promise that she’d try and stop by next week, Marianne excused herself to the restroom.  She wanted to get some Advil for her forming headache from the strobe lights. 

Finding the downstairs bathroom occupied, she decided to try upstairs.  As she made her way down the hall, she noticed that most of the festivities seemed to be taking place towards the back of the house, yet the front door was wide open, inviting any stragglers to just walk right in.  She’d have to have a serious talk with Dawn about safety hazards later.

Just as she touched the newel post and was about to swing around it onto the steps, she heard a knock on the doorframe.

“Um, excuse me?”

Turning, she saw a young man standing in the doorway.  He was very tall and thin, with sharp, pale features, sparkling cobalt eyes and an even patch of dark stubble along his jaw. 

“Uh, hi.”  He said, seeing that he had her attention.  “Is this 2315 Summerfield Avenue?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, good.”  His wiry shoulders relaxed a bit.  “Dawn invited me to the party and I think a couple o’ my friends are already here. May I come in?”

Marianne almost snickered at how over-polite the guy was being considering how she’d just confirmed the address, the party was in full swing and the door was already open.  She stepped towards him and opened her mouth to reply, but stopped short. 

When she’d moved, the guy had leaned forward slightly into the light and Marianne was thunderstruck to see that he was dressed as a scarecrow.

But not just any scarecrow.

 _Her_ scarecrow!    

He had the same hat, the same vest, the same patches, the same shoes.  Even the navy and grey colors were the same!  The straw hair was a wig, the skeleton hands were gloves, and the fabric was cotton instead of cheesecloth. 

Swiftly, Marianne marched out onto the porch and the guy scrambled to get out of her way, suddenly frightened by the wide-eyed look she was giving him.  Her head snapped in the direction of the swing and her breath caught in her throat.

The scarecrow was gone. 

“Um, miss?”

Marianne didn’t say anything at first.  She couldn’t.  She felt numb.  This was impossible.  This was the real world.  There had to be some rational explanation.    

“Miss?  Hey, are ye alright?”

Gradually, the numbness gave way to a warmth she couldn’t believe.  A kind of warmth that wrapped the soul in a blanket of trust and happiness.  She could now hear the Scottish accent in his voice and when she shook herself out of her stupor and faced the mysterious man again, she found herself mesmerized by those beautiful eyes.  She felt her heart stir in a way it never had before; not even with Roland. 

“What’s your name?” 

“What?”

“Your _name_.”  She repeated.  “What is it?”

“It’s uh……it’s Bog.”

“Bog?”

“Yes, look are ye _sure_ yer okay?”

“Yeah!  Yeah, I’m fine.  I was just….making sure there was enough candy left for the trick or treaters.”  She nodded to the big plastic cauldron sitting on the floor a few feet away from her. 

Brushing off the skirt of her costume and trying not to flush at the lie, she smiled at Bog with genuine affection.  Black magic or not, whatever had brought this man to her, she’d gladly take it with thanks. 

“I’m Marianne.”  She offered her hand to him.  “Come in, Bog.”

He blushed but slipped his hand around hers and let her bring him out of the chilly, Halloween night and into her life.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment and/or kudos! They make me write faster and I'm always so happy to hear from you guys!
> 
> Btw, this is based on a true story! Woooooooo!  
> HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!  
> <3


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